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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28961085">Angel Dreams</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/hollyblue2/pseuds/hollyblue2'>hollyblue2</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Writing Challenge Entries [43]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supernatural</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Dean's Birthday, Domestic Dean, Fluff, M/M, Pie AND Cake, Pining, character injury</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 06:28:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,033</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28961085</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/hollyblue2/pseuds/hollyblue2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When Dean ends up unconscious after a hunt, Castiel finds his way into Dean's dreams only to find a domestic bliss that they both want and need.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Castiel/Dean Winchester</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Writing Challenge Entries [43]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/350954</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>179</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Writers of Destiel Weekly Words</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Angel Dreams</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written for the Writers of Destiel Weekly Words prompt: Sprinkles and also celebrates Dean's birthday! </p>
<p>This is a real-time canonverse set fic... I don't often write canon-set stuff, so I guess this is a treat and a break from my AU stuff. </p>
<p>Happy 42nd Birthday, Dean! ♥</p>
<p>beta'd by rauko-is-a-free-elf, thanks!!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <span>It's been a day and a half already, and Dean has yet to wake up. Castiel watches Sam's brow furrow every now and then as he taps away at something on his laptop, keeping an eye on Dean who's under all the blankets they could spare on the motel room bed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They were only planning to stay until Dean woke up, but whatever Dean has been hit with isn't letting up. Castiel has tried to fix it, but nothing is working. Every time he lays his hand over Dean’s forehead and sends his grace through Dean’s body his eyes remain closed, his body still, and nothing changes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Castiel feels useless; all he can do is watch over Dean.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The sound of Sam’s laptop lid slamming shut at 3 am with a crack makes Castiel jump, every bone in his body seeming to crack as he does. His hunched-over position over Dean probably isn’t good. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know the answer,” Sam says, quietly, though it seems to echo in the room. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We should take him home—back to the bunker,” Castiel suggests, his hand in Dean’s a solid presence that he hasn’t been able to withhold from him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sam stretches, then nods solemnly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Moving Dean is easy when he’s not awake to fight Castiel carrying him across the dark parking lot to where the Impala is. Sam takes their gear, shoving it in the trunk as Castiel slides Dean into the backseat before following to let Dean rest his head on his lap; Sam doesn’t say a word. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sam’s driving is much more careful than Dean’s, either through fear of breaking the Impala and suffering under Dean’s wrath </span>
  <em>
    <span>when</span>
  </em>
  <span> he wakes up, or more likely because he doesn’t want to hurt Dean in any way when he’s in such a fragile state. Either way, it means Sam’s eyes remain pointedly on the road and Castiel’s hand in Dean’s hair goes unnoticed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Several hours in, the road passing by like an endless zoetrope—trees, scrubland, a city and several smaller towns— and Castiel drifts. As soon as his eyes close he sees a flash of white pass his eyelids and he’s thrown into somewhere that he knows isn’t real. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The place is strange, it’s a likeness to the bunker, but the sunlight streaming through the windows tells him he’s not there. Instead of the war room table, there’s a modest dining table with six chairs around it, an archway leading to a spacious kitchen that looks much homier than the one in the bunker. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He hears a voice, then another, sounding suspiciously like himself. He doesn’t want to disturb what’s going on here, not when it’s radiating peace and calm, something that he hasn’t felt in months. Castiel creeps around the corner into the hallway where he finds the door to the main living room, on the couch, with their backs to the door where Castiel stands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>An old western plays on the television screen. Dean and this other Castiel are close, leaning against one another. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So, this is what Dean dreams about.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Cas?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” a voice calls his name—Sam—and when he blinks he finds himself back in the Impala, Dean’s head in his lap, the outside considerably brighter than it had been when they’d left the motel. They’re waiting at traffic lights, Sam glancing back to him with concern. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I must have fallen asleep,” Castiel says simply. He can tell Sam doesn’t believe him. “Dean’s fine,” he adds. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There’s about two hours until we hit Lebanon,” Sam tells him and Castiel just nods.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Castiel tries not to let himself drift, and wonders how he managed to get into Dean’s head like that when he’d tried so hard before with no avail. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The bunker seems to spring up suddenly even when Castiel is concentrating on the road. Castiel carries Dean again, taking him straight to his room, settling him under the sheets before going to find some extra blankets, a glass of water and a washcloth. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He lifts Dean’s head as best he can, trying to get him to sip some water. Most of it trickles down his chin so Castiel wipes it away with his thumb before giving up and using the warm washcloth to soothe over Dean’s brow. With the soft motions, the gentle care and quiet, the white light flashes again and he finds himself back in the house.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This time he’s upstairs. The bathroom door is open and he can hear the gentle splashing of someone in a bath. He’s not sure what he’s about to find but Dean in the bath, head resting against the side with his eyes close and mouth hanging open as the other Castiel kneels down, one hand on the side of the tub and the other—</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Dean gasps and Castiel realises what the other Castiel is doing. The other Castiel talks quietly, short rumbles that Castiel can’t make out but Dean seems to hear just fine. It’s intimate, and no matter how Castiel got here, he knows he shouldn’t be spying on this, even if it is another version of himself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Castiel walks away, effectively bringing him out of this dream Dean’s having while he’s comatose. It makes him question what got Dean. Some kind of djinn would make sense, but that hadn’t been why they were on a hunt. It had been angels that were the issue, so perhaps some kind of angel dream; it could explain why Castiel can’t heal Dean and wake him up. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sam comes in to check over the next few hours, but Castiel explains there’s been no change and that he needs to rest. Sam’s concern makes it obvious that he’s going to be researching until he passes out from exhaustion. It does mean that Dean and Castiel are left alone once more. Castiel takes Dean’s limp hand into his own, his fingers of his other hand tracing mindless lines up and down Dean’s arm. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Saturday rolls into Sunday, the hours marking the third day that Dean hasn’t woken up. Castiel wonders if he should interact more, maybe convince the Dean in the dream that it isn’t real. Part of him is selfish enough to want to leave Dean be, as peaceful as he is.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Neither he nor Dean has said anything about what’s going on between them, though both are sure that Sam has cottoned on to </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It’s still new, tender and young, neither really knowing what to do with one another. They’re happiest in each other’s presence but Dean seems hesitant to pursue more than closeness, nothing like he’d seen in Dean’s dream, though it gives Castiel hope for more in the future. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Another hour passes and the changing of the day reminds Castiel of what day it is today. “If you wake up today, I’m sure we can find you a birthday pie. Pecan, or maybe apple,” Castiel whispers. “Or both.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Castiel feeds a little more water to Dean, not that it helps much, before tucking the blankets around Dean and pulling Dean’s hand to his lips where he kisses his knuckles. Castiel falls back into Dean’s dream unintentionally. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Castiel can smell cake in the air and then he hears laughter from the kitchen. Keeping out of sight, he peers into the room to find Dean crowding the other Castiel—a more carefree version of him—with a box of sprinkles in his hand. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The cake, covered in bright blue frosting, has a heap of sprinkles on top. It’s a small incident, one that seems to have brought joy to them both. Dean scrapes up a finger of frosting from the worktop and smears it on the other Castiel’s nose. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Go wash up, let me take care of this mess before you ruin it all,” Dean’s voice teases and Castiel watches as the other Castiel presses a chaste but meaningful kiss to Dean’s cheek before leaving the room. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Castiel stays and watches for a few more moments, wary of being caught. Dean clears up the mess, sweeping up the sprinkles that ended up on the floor. Castiel is staring so hard that he doesn’t notice when Dean stops, not until he hears: “I know you’re there, Cas. You don’t have to hide from me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s clear he hasn’t been as subtle as he thought. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s okay. So what? I’m comatose up there or something and you’re my knight in shining armour to drag me back?” Dean’s voice is light, but the notes of bitterness don’t go unnoticed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’ve been unconscious for a few days,” Castiel informs him and a wave of guilt washes over him. “I haven’t been making much effort to </span>
  <em>
    <span>drag you back</span>
  </em>
  <span>. You’ve been… peaceful here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Castiel watches as a small smile graces Dean’s features. “You make it easy,” he says. Castiel flushes as the compliment. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is this something you want? To get away from hunting, be—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Human,” Dean finishes with a slight nod. “I want to be a human, not a hunter.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There’s plenty of hunters, you don’t need to be one of them anymore,” Castiel says the words carefully, taking a step towards Dean. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What if I don’t remember this when I wake up?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You will if it’s something you really want,” Castiel assures him with a smile. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dean seems to hesitate for a moment, looking around him at the big house. It’s a beautiful place and Castiel wouldn’t mind playing human for Dean for as long as he could have him for. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay.” Dean stands in front of Castiel, close enough to… Dean kisses him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The shock is enough to pull Castiel out of the dream and he blinks back the stupor. Dean’s hand—the real Dean—tightens in his own, and he wakes up slowly like he’s been asleep for a few hours and not a few days. Their shared look proves to Castiel that Dean remembers the conversation they’ve just had. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Castiel goes to find Sam, who rushes to Dean, thankful he’s awake again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What happened? How did you wake him up?” Sam asks, handing Dean the glass of water from his bedside. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He was dreaming, an angel dream.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How come you couldn’t do it before?” Sam wonders with confusion. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I was too busy watching him have a life. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“It took a while to find him is all.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m glad you’re back, and good timing too!” Sam grins. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why? What day is it?” Dean frowns. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Happy birthday, Dean,” Castiel says softly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m taking the Impala to get you birthday pie,” Sam announces. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dean smiles, genuinely, then his eyes flick to Castiel. “And a cake too? With lots of sprinkles?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sam gives him an odd look, but it passes. “Dude, it’s your birthday, of course!” Sam’s out the door a few moments later, leaving Castiel and Dean alone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The silence between them is intense, Castiel can tell Dean’s itching to say something, so he gives him the time to work it out. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Finally, the words come. “Did you really mean what you said in there?” Dean’s eyes are fixed on the blanket. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t lie to you like that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then yes. I want that.” Dean says, voice low like he’s afraid of anyone else hearing him. “I’d do anything.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Castiel’s mouth ticks up. “How about you shower and get dressed? It’s your birthday, you deserve a party.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dean peels back the sheets, standing up on mostly steady legs. “Will you kiss me first, like I kissed you before?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That’s an easy request for him to fulfil, standing up and meeting Dean, face to face. Castiel’s hands pull Dean in by his hips, feeling confident in what they have here between them. Something more solid, a plan, an ending—something to work towards. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Too soon, the front door bangs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I have pie! I have cake! They didn’t have one with sprinkles so I bought a box.” Sam shouts through the bunker, voice getting closer as he nears Dean’s room. “So I guess you can do that bit yourself.” Sam passes by, towards the kitchen and both Castiel and Dean manage to hold in the laughter of the false memory of sprinkles exploding everywhere.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As soon as Sam’s out of earshot, Dean laughs and it’s beautiful. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I hope you liked this! Let me know what you think ^_^</p></blockquote></div></div>
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